Saturday, 26 February 2011

I urge every one of us to get down to 10 Felstead Street to the Wick Curiosity Shop this coming week. From the 1st March to 6th March – we will be treated to the most incredible local extravaganza of fun, news, talks, walks & workshops – all just for us in Hackney Wick!!

The Wick Curiosity Shop is an informal archive and cultural space dedicated to Hackney Wick.It will take over an empty shop in Olso House for the first week of March, hosting a series of eventsabout the ‘goings-on’ in the Wick of the past, present and future.

The Shop traces, documents, promotes, hosts and connects the many histories, initiatives andambitions of the area. It is also a space for debate and action for change in which desires,ideas and makers can meet to plot collective or individual futures.

All events are free of chargePlaces on the walks are limited, reserving a place is recommended.You can do so by emailing info@wickcuriosityshop.net,message us on Twitter @wickcuriosity or find us on facebook.

1. THE WAY WE WALKA series of Walks from the WickBy public works in collaboration with ……

Walking the PressTuesday, March 1, 2011, 11amA walk from Abbey Gardens (www.abbeygardens.org) to the Wick Curiosity Shop in Oslo House, where we will take the mobile press from Abbey Gardens with us to make seed bombs. The seed bombs will be used for the Sunflower Avenue walk (see below).

Get an introduction to the beautiful Abbey Gardens and enjoy a slow walk into the Wick via the Greenway pushing, pulling and talking all things gardening.

The walk will be led by Andreas Lang and take approximately 1.5 hours Start is at Abbey Gardens at 11am.Bakers Row E15 3NF. Check www.abbeygardens.org for directions.

Printers ParadiseThursday, March 3, 2011, 3pm‘Printers Paradise’ was the informal name of the dense cluster of printers and related industry spread around the Wick and along Carpenters Road.

With the changes sweeping through the area and the print industry, only a few outposts of Printers Paradise remain. Join us on a walk to trace some of the former glory, meet some of the printers and visit still active print workshops in Hackney Wick.

The walk will be led by Gemma Drake and Andreas Lang.

The walk starts at The Wick Curiosity Shop at 3pm, and will take approx. 1 hour.10 Felstead Street, Oslo House, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LTThe walk will contribute to an on-going project by Gemma documenting the changing industry in and around Hackney Wick.

Friday Fish WalkFriday, March 4, 2011, 3pmIt is Friday afternoon and what better way to spend it than joining the Curiosity Shopon a walk to show you where to pick up the best fish in the Wick!

Along the way we will fly post pictures and posters, which have been made on-site at Oslo House earlier in the week.

The walk will be led by Polly Brannan and take approx. 40 minutes.We leave from the Wick Curiosity Shop, 10 Felstead Street, Oslo House, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LT

It is a local Initiative by Lea Bank Square Purple Garden to establish a planted connection between the two local parks. Seed Bombs specially designed and made in the Wick Curiosity Shop will be used to replant hundreds of sunflowers while strolling along the Avenue.

The walk is led by Andreas Lang and take approx. 1 hour. Start is at the Wick Curiosity Shop,10 Felstead Street, Oslo House, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LT ending at Mabley Green

The Way We WalkedSaturday, March 5, 2011, 2pmFollowing the footsteps of one of the most popular annual walks in the Wick – the Christmas Swim - we walk together to retrace the ‘Otters Swimming Club’ days, with giant posters and hot dogs on the way!

The walk is led by Polly Brannan and take approx. 1 hour. We will leave from the Wick Curiosity Shop,10 Felstead Street, Oslo House, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LT

Off the TrackBrigand Boys, Monkey Parades and Clarnico GirlsSunday, March 6, 2011, 4pmMonkey Parades were popular from at least the 1840’s and were a British working class institution.

This courting congregation that saw men and women lavishly dressed to impresswas rife in Hackney in 19th Century. The walk retraces a visual journey of the Wick by George Sims, a journalist during the height of the popularity of Monkey Parades in the late 1800s.

Participants are invited to dress to impress and the ladies are invited to wear lavish hats (designed by the Ladies at the Wick). Drinks will be served on Mabley Green at the end.

The walk is led by Torange Khonsari and takes approx. 1 hour. It starts at the Wick Curiosity Shop,10 Felstead Street, Oslo House, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LT

2. THE WAY WE MAKEA series of hands on workshops in the Wick Curiosity Shop

The Anecdotal ManicureTuesday, March 2, 2011 from 2-5pmGet your hair styled or your nails done, have a tea and chat about the Wick.Lauren Campany will offer free hair styling and manicures in return for some lively anecdotes about the Wick - imaginary or real, regardless weather you live in the Wick or are on your first visit.

Pimp your HatTuesday, March 1, 2011 6pmJoin the ‘Ladies of the Wick’ for a hat making session in the Wick Curiosity Shopin preparation for the Monkey Parade - a courting congregation along the Wick,which will see men and women lavishly dressed to impress.Just bring yourselves – material is provided.

The workshop will be led by Torange Khonsari with the WI of Hackney Wick (tbc)

Fish Frying PostersTuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, March 1,2,3, 2011 from 11am-2pmFish has been part of the Wick for a long time. Join us to make large scaleposters which will be copied and pasted during the Friday Fish Walk.

Wick Session Number 1Collectively WickThursday, March 3, 2011, 7pm till lateA Wick Development Trust and trust in development.There is no Development Trust in Hackney Wick or the surrounding area. With so much speculative and top-down development descending on Hackney Wick we want to take a moment and brainstorm alternatives for a collective, community driven development of public spaces in Hackney Wick.

Speakers to be confirmedPlease check our website for updates, www.wickcuriosityshop.net

Wick Session Number 2Grounds for cultureFriday, March 4, 2011, 7pm till lateWick Session Number 2 will bring together artists and activists currently working on projects or setting up initiatives in Hackney Wick.A friendly and informal exchange between practitioners with a passion for Hackney Wick.Speakers to be confirmedPlease check our website for updates, www.wickcuriosityshop.net

Wick on FilmSaturday, March 5, 2011, 5pm till latePop down to the Wick Curiosity Shop on Saturday afternoon for a screening sessionshowing a varied selection of films from and about the Wick.

While the final programme is yet to be confirmed it is likely to include archive footage, explorations of what is now the Olympic site and stories from the area.

Tea, Cake and CuriositiesSunday, March 6, 2011, 1-4pmJoin us for some free Tea and Cake on early Sunday afternoon in the Wick Curiosity Shop, and bring you photos, anecdotes and rare curiosities to be included in the Wick Curiosity Shop archive.

The antiques road show meets friendly chatter and stories about life in the Wick.

The Wick Curiosity postal service to Graz, Austria.public works is invited by Rotor Gallery to present the Wick Curiosity Shop in Graz, Austria.

After a packed week in Hackney Wick, the Shop will be journeying across the continent. The venue in Graz is situated in a similar social context to the shop’s home in the Wick and thus this visit aims to create a form of cultural exchange between the two areas, and a link between the explorations on either side.

As part of this exchange the Curiosity Shop is interested in receiving contributionsfrom visitors who would like to post something (physical or not) to Graz. If you have something to send, pop into the shop during the week or email us via our website.

Part of the show in Graz is a two day conference on URBAN NEIGHBOURHOOD CULTURES with an impressive list of speakers from across Europe - Hackney Wick will be in good company!

The Wick CuirosityShop started in 2008 and has since been shaped by many different individuals and groups based in, or with close associations to, the Wick. The project does not have a permanent home, and exists across changing location and settings.

The Walks Programme is part of the ‘Wick Curiosity Shop - Route Book’ project by public works.It is one of six temporary art projects commissioned by London Thames Gateway Development Corporationfor London Borough of Hackney (LBH) and London Borough of Tower hamlets (LBTH), curated by muf architecture/art.

This Wick Curiosity Shop was originally commissioned by [SPACE]as part of the Hackney Wick Festival in 2008

Welcome!!

We all love Hackney Wick - and want to see our lives here improve day by day.

By contributing to this blog we will all feel as if we have a say in how we want our neighbourhood to be.

Of course we could all use it as a whinge blog to whine on about the rubbish collections or cars parked on the sidewalk - BUT - how about we all use it to make our lives a lot more positive?!

How about we all use it to organise litter pick-up days, or comunal barbeques in the green opposite St Mary's, or meetings to get Hackney Council to change something, or to put pressure on the Olympic Delevery Authority to deliver a Legacy appropriate to us? Anything!!